Ladies Team bow out of Plate in semi-final

The visitors started strongly playing against the wind and on nine minutes Jayda Jenkins, who would cause trouble for the Nailers defence all afternoon, skipped past two Belper players before unleashing a shot which Hannah Whysall did well to tip wide.

A couple of minutes later a cross from Charlotte Davison on the left found Lauren Bennett but Whysall was again equal to it.

In the 12th minute came Belper's first chance as Alice Faulding laid the ball off for India Amans, her shot took a deflection and landed wide.

Just after the quarter-hour mark, a free kick awarded in Belper's favour for handball was taken by Jazz Buxton, she rolled the ball to Sammy Bennett but her left foot shot was just off target.

On 18 minutes Bennett's cross from the left was headed just wide at the back post by Anna Macluskey.

Belper took the lead in the 21st minute when Dion Cowen, who has impressed since returning to the side recently launched the ball forward looking for Faulding. Belper's top scorer went in bravely with the Woodlands goalkeeper Lilly Campbell and won the race to knock the ball home.

Five minutes before the break, Hannah Dutton found Alex Holland and her shot from 25 yards brought a good save out of Campbell. The subsequent corner was nearly scrambled in but Woodlands survived.

In the 44th minute Woodlands gave the ball away at the back, Faulding gathered possession and passed to Jess Needham but her shot was marginally wide.

The final action of the first half saw an Emma Pickard free kick half cleared back to the Belper captain and when she crossed the ball again, Buxton flashed a shot wide.

The game turned on its head in a five minute spell early in the second half.

On 50 minutes Woodlands were level when a free kick from the left found the head of Jenkins who put the ball just beyond the reach of Whysall to make it 1-1.

Within two minutes they were ahead when handball was given against Belper. Jenkins fired the free kick past Whysall to give the Division Two South side the advantage.

A fantastic long ball from Macie White in the 58th minute found Faulding but Campbell palmed it wide.

Ten minutes later Faulding returned the favour, finding White on the edge of the box but her shot was just over the bar.

With fifteen minutes remaining, a cross from White on the left found the head of Pickard but Campbell saved her side again.

White continued to be at the centre of most good things about Belper going forward and on 76 minutes her shot from range went narrowly over.

Woodlands nearly secured the tie with ten minutes remaining when Bennett's free kick crashed back off the post.

A minute after that White brought the ball down nicely at the other end but couldn't quite find the target.

With seven minutes remaining a Belper corner created confusion in the Woodlands defence and White's shot was stopped just about on the goal line and cleared.

The final action, four minutes in to stoppage time saw a Buxton corner headed just over by Mia Carnelley.

A disappointing result for Dom Anderson's side to go ahead against lower division opposition and go on to lose but it wasn't for the lack of trying in the second half.

They are back in action at Borrowash on Wednesday evening before finishing the season at Draycott in early May.

The reserves were 10-0 winners against a short handed Hatton United at the Raygar Stadium.

Belper Town: Whysall, Pickard (C), Layton, Cowen, Buxton, Bennett, Holland, Carnelley, Macluskey, Amans, Faulding.
Subs: Thompson, Dutton, White, Powles, Needham.

Woodlands (squad): Banton, Bellamy, H. Bennett, L. Bennett, Campbell, Davison, Dobson, Eleftheriou, Fazekas, Fleming, Gregory, Handford, Hill, Jenkins, Linnington, Morris, Nelson, Paterson, Roe, Rowett, Sanghera, Simpkin.

Referee: Liam Rooney